Hose-clamp deforming pliers



Nov. 9, 1965 w. T. MADEIRA 3,216,291

I HOSE-CLAMP DEFORMING FLIERS Filed April 7, 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

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HOSE-CLAMP DEFORMING PLIERS Filed April 7, 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. William Z/%dilfi, BY u J Nov. 9, 1965 w. 1'. MADEIRA 3,216,291

. HOSE-CLAMP DEFORMING PLIERS Filed April 7, 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR 11771121171 Z 1%dez'ra,

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United States Patent 3,216,291 HOSE-CLAMP DEFORMING PLIERS William T. Madeira, Lancaster, Pa, assignor to K-D Manufacturing Company, Lancaster, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Apr. 7, 1964, Ser. No. 357,967

' 7 Claims. (Cl. 81-9.3)

This invention relates to pliers for clamping band or ring-type clamps, such as hose clamps. The pliers are adapted for use with hose and other clamps having an outward bulge or offset portion adapted to be pinched by the pliers to contract and shorten the main band or ring, thereby to draw the clamp tight around the hose or other object.

The pliers of the present invention include a backup plate which is so positioned as to engage the outward face of the clampolfset or bulge when the pliers are closed to contract the main band, thereby to prevent the bulge from expanding outward into a loop.

In one form of pliers, the backup plate is in the form of a thrust platform which, as the jaws of the pliers are closed to contract the band, is cammed inwardly toward the axial center of the band clamp, forcing the bulge or offset into a generally keystone shape, thereby giving increased strength to the bulge as compared with an ordinary loop. To accommodate this form of pliers to clamps of substantially different size, the backup plate or thrust platform is made adjustable, so that when fully cammed into its most inward position, the platform occupies one of two (or more) limit positions.

The structure of several preferred forms of the new clamp pliers of the present invention, and the manner in which the pliers operate, will be clearly understood from the following description of a preferred form of pliers illustrated in the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation of one form of the new pliers, showing the pliers in fully-closed position;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the pliers looking in from the right in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a rear elevational view of the pliers of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a top view of the pliers of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a view in section taken along the line V*V of FIG. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows and showing the eccentric thrust pin in the upper position, used when clamping larger-diameter clamps, as in FIGS. and 11;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 5 but showing the eccentric thrust pin in its lower position, used when clamping small-diameter clamps, as in FIGS. 12 and 13;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the thrust platform and the eccentric pin;

FIGS. 8 and 9 are perspective views, broken away, of the jaw ends of the lever arms of the pliers of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 10 and 11 are views, in front elevation as in FIG. 1 but with parts broken away and in section, illustrating the manner of use of the pliers of FIG. 1 in contracting a large-diameter ring, the eccentric pin being in its upper position as in FIG. 5; 7

FIGS. 12 and 13 are views similar to FIGS. 10 and 11 but illustrating the use of the pliers of FIG. 1 on a smalldiameter ring, the eccentric pin being in its lower position, as in FIG. 6;

FIG. 14 is a front elevational view of a modified form of clamp pliers, showing the pliers closed;

FIG. 15 is a side elevation of the pliers of FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is a top plan view of the pliers of FIG. 14;

FIG. 17 is a front elevation, partly broken away, showing the pliers of FIG. 14 being used to contract a hose clamp;

3,216,291 Patented Nov. 9, 1965 ice FIG. 18 is a top plan view, looking down along the line XIXXIX of FIG. 17, showing the pliers about to be used to contract the hose clamp;

FIG. 19 is a top plan view similar to FIG. 18 showing the hose clamp contracted by the pliers; and

FIGS. 20 and 21 are perspective views showing the pin parts and backup plate of the pliers of FIGS. 1419.

Referring now to FIGS. 1-13 of the drawings, the form of pliers there illustrated comprise a pair of crossed lever arms 21 and 22 connected in the crossover region by the pivot pin 20. Pivot pin 20 is preferably a bolt provided with a hexagonal head 23 and rectangular nut 26, for the reason that, in addition to its function as a pivot pin, the pin or bolt 20 also has the function of holding captive the backup plate or thrust platform 30 while allowing limited movement of the platform 30 in a vertical direction.

The lever arms 21 and 22 of the pliers are provided at their lower ends with handle-forming extensions 27 and 28. At the upper or jaw end, the lever arms are turned over 90 (or approximately 90) forming the jaws 24 and 25, respectively. The inward edges of the jaws are beveled or wedge shaped, for engaging and compressing the bulge or offset portion of the clamp, in the manner illustrated in FIGS. 10, 11 and 12, 13.

The preferred form of backup plate or thrust platform 30 is that of a yoke, most clearly seen in FIG. 7. As there seen, yoke 30 has a transverse portion 33 which forms the surface for taking the outward thrust of the bulge or offset portion of the clamp.

Yoke 30 has a pair of legs 31 and 32 which depend from the platform surface 33. Each leg is provided with an elongated slot 38 and 39 adapted to receive the shank of the pivot pin 20. Slots 38 and 39 allow the yoke 30 to be moved up and down relative to the pivot pin 20 while held captive thereon by the head and nut of the pin. Above the slots 38 and 39, legs 31 and 32 are provided with square or rectangular holes 36, 37, for receiving the square or rectangular ends 62 and 63 of the eccentric thrust pin 60. The cylindrical shank 61 of thrust pin 60 is off-centered relative to the square ends 62 and 63. Ends 62 and 63 are provided with lateral holes 64 and 65, respectively, for receiving the hairpin retainers 66 and 67, respectively. Retainer holes 64 and 65 are located midway between the upper and lower surface of square ends 62 and 63, whereas the axial center of the shank 61 of the eccentric pin 60 is located either above or below the level of the holes 64, 65, depending upon the position in which the eccentric pin is inserted in the yoke 30. In FIG. 7, the shank 61 is illustrated in the high position. This is also the position of the eccentric pin in FIGS. 1, 2, 3, S, 10, and 11. In FIGS. 6, 12, and 13, the eccentric pin 60 is in the low position.

When the pliers are in an open position toreceive the offset of the clamp, as in FIG. 10, the yoke 30 is free to move up and down within a range limited by the length of the slots 38 and 39. As the pliers handles are compressed to draw the jaws closer together, the jaws 24, 25 compress the band of the clamp 40 about the hose 42 and pipe (FIG. 10), and the offset 41 tends to move outward (downward in FIG. 10) to form a loop. However, the outer surface of the offset 41 engages .the surface 33 of thrust platform or yoke 30, forcing the yoke 30 downward, and forcing the cylindrical shank 61 of the thrust pin 60 into the recesses 71 and 72 of the levers 21 and 22, respectively. These recesses 71 and 72 are most clearly seen in FIGS. 8 and 9.

As the jaws 24 and 25 are brought more closely together, the shank 61 of the thrust pin 60 is forced upward by the camming action of the sloping sides of the recesses 71 and 72 and the thrust platform 30 is urged up against the outer face of the offset 41, preventing it from bulging out into a loop.

Finally, as the jaws 24 and 25 continue to close, the shank 61 of the thrust pin 60 is cammed up into the shallow recesses 73 and 74 and the thrust platform 30 is forced up to its limit position, illustrated in FIG. 11. The band of the clamp 40 is now compressed tightly around the hose 42 and pipe 80, and the offset 41 of the clamp 40 is of keystone shape as a result of the upward thrust provided by the platform 30 during the operation of tightening the clamp, as just described.

In FIGS. 12 and 13, there is illustrated a clamp 50 of somewhat different type having an offset portion 51. Clamp 50 is considerably smaller in diameter than clamp 40, and the radial dimension by which offset 51 projects beyond the circle of clamp 50 is considerably less than that by which offset 41 projects beyond the circle of clamp 40. Accordingly, it is desired to have the thrust platform 33 operate closer to the clamp circle. This is accomplished by the eccentric thrust pin 60.

To prepare the pliers for use with a small-diameter clamp, such as clamp 50 of FIGS. 12 and 13, one of the hairpin retainers 66 or 67 is removed, the eccentric thrust pin is removed from the square holes 36 and 37, of yoke 30, the pin is rotated 180 on its own axis, and is then reinserted in the yoke. This puts the shank 61 of the thrust pin in the low position, as illustrated in FIG. 6. The distance between the shank 61 of ececntric pin 60 and the thrust platform 33 is now greater and accordingly the platform 30 operates closer to the circle of the clamp. This is illustrated in FIGS. 12 and 13 in which small-diameter clamp 50 is shown being applied to the small hose 52 and pipe 82. 7

FIGS. 14-21 illustrate a simplified form of pliers in which the clamping edges of the jaws close together at the sides, rather than at the top, and the backup plate 130 is behind, rather than below, the clamping edges of the jaw. In FIGS. 1421, the backup plate 130 is slidably mounted on the jaws in a transverse position by means of elongated slots 131 and 132, thereby to allow for opening and closing of the jaws. In FIGS. 1421, the backup plate 130 is not adjustable for different size clamps, and the backup plate is not cammed toward the clamp offset or bulge, when the jaws of the pliers close.

FIG. 20 is a perspective illustration of the backup plate 130 and the jaw parts 124 and 125, as seen from front. FIG. 21 is a rear perspective view of the jaw part 124. The backup plate 130, and the jaw parts 124 and 125, are secured to the front face of the upper end portions of the levers 121 and 122, as by bolts 134- and 135. The upper end portions of the levers 121 and 122 are flat and in alignment with each other, as seen in the side elevation of FIG. 15, and, as also seen in the top plan views of FIGS. 16, 18, and 19.

The backup plate 130 is provided with elongated slots 131 and 132, clearly seen in FIG. 20, through which the bolts 134 and 135 pass. These slots allow the jaw end of the pliers to open and close.

It is also to be noted that jaw parts 124 and 125 are provided with upper and lower flanges, forming channels -of a size to receive the backup plate 130. Thus, as the jaws are opened and closed, the U-shaped jaw parts 124 and 125 slide, in opposite directions, along the plate 130. This has the important advantage of keeping the forming edges of the jaw parts parallel at all'times.

FIGS. 17 and 18 depict the pliers about to compress the offset 151 of clamp 150, thereby to contract the clamp 150 about the hose 152 and the pipe 182. The forming edges of the jaw parts 124 and 125 grab the offset porexpanding outwardly, and forces it to assume the desired keystone shape. The backup plate 130 also maintains the forming edges of the jaw parts 124 and 125 in alignment as they close on the offset portion 151.

While the preferred embodiments of this invention have been described in some detail, it will be obvious to one skilled in the art that various modifications may be made without departing from the invention as hereinafter claimed.

Having described my invention, 1 claim:

1. Clamp pliers for contracting band clamps having an offset portion, said pliers comprising a pair of complementary lever arms pivotally connected at an intermediate point by a pivot pin, said lever arms having at one end handle portions and at the other end complementary jaw portions characterized by opposing clamping edges adapted to be brought toward each other in abutting relation; a backup plate movably mounted close to but spaced from the path of closing movement of said clamping edges for receiving the thrust of the offset portion; and means actuable by said lever arms for camming said backup plate towards said jaw portions as said lever arms are moved to bring said clamping edges toward each other.

2. Clamp pliers as claimed in claim 1 characterized in that said backup plate is slidably mounted, and further characterized in that said camming means includes an adjustable thrust pin.

3. Clamp pliers as claimed in claim 2 characterized in that the clamping edges of the jaw portions, and the thrust-receiving portion of the backup plate, lie in planes which are perpendicular to the plane of movement of the handle portions.

4. Clamp pliers comprising a pair of complementary lever arms pivotally connected at an intermediate point by a pivot bolt, said lever arms having at one end handle portions and at the other end complementary jaw portions characterized by lateral opposing clamping edges adapted to be brought toward each other in abutting relation; a thrust platform disposed below the path of closing movement of said clamping edges, said platform =having dependent legs having therein elongated slots for receiving said pivot bolt and for allowing vertical movement of said thrust platform relative thereto; a cylindrical thrust pin connected between said legs of said platform above said slots; said jaw portions of said lever arms having fashioned into the upper edges thereof camming surfaces adapted to receive said thrust pin and to cam said thrust pin upward as said jaw portions are moved in a closing direction, thereby to urge said platform upward toward the path of closing movement of said clamping edges.

5. Clamp pliers as claimed in claim 4 characterized in that said camming surfaces in said lever arms are recesses.

6. Clamp pliers as claimed in claim 5 further characterized in that said thrust pin is adjustably secured to the legs of said thrust platform.

7. Clamp pliers as claimed in claim 6 further characterized in that said thrust pin has square ends secured in square holes in the legs of said platform.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,038,109 9/12 Flora 81-9.1 1,084,935 1/14 Flora et al.-

2,684,004 7/54 Holtzapple 81-15 2,876,514 3/59 Murphy 24-20 WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner.

MILTON S. MEHR, Examiner. 

1. CLAMP PLIERS FOR CONTRACTING BAND CLAMPS HAVING AN OFFSET PORTION, SAID PLIERS COMPRISING A PAIR OF COMPLEMENTARY LEVER ARMS PIVOTALLY CONNECTED AT AN INTERMEDIATE POINT BY A PIVOT PIN, SAID LEVER ARMS HAVING AT ONE END HANDLE PORTIONS AND AT THE OTHER END COMPLEMENTARY JAW PORTIONS CHARACTERIZED BY OPPOSING CLAMPING EDGES ADAPTED TO BE BROUGHT TOWARD EACH OTHER IN ABUTTING RELATION; A BACKUP PLATE MOVABLY MOUNTED CLOSE TO BUT SPACED FROM THE PATH OF CLOSING MOVMENT OF SAID CLAMPING EDGES FOR RECEIVING THE THRUST OF THE OFFSET PORTION; AND MEANS ACTUABLE BY SAID LEVER ARMS FOR CAMMING SAID BACK PLATE TOWARDS SAID JAW PORTIONS AS SAID LEVER ARMS ARE MOVED TO BRING SAID CLAMPING EDGES TOWARD EACH OTHER. 